The three most well-known wide receivers from this current Golden Age of Stanford football are all currently in the NFL. Two of them have Super Bowl rings and have been to the NFL Pro Bowl, and the third appears on his way to those same heights. But of course, none of those players followed the expected course to find NFL success.
Richard Sherman had some big moments as a Stanford wide receiver, but converted to defensive back late in his career. He wasn't selected until the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft, but hard work and dedication led to greatness with the Seattle Seahawks. He exploded into America's consciousness during the NFC Championship game in January of 2014, becoming perhaps the most polarizing figure in the NFL, and over the next few seasons solidified a reputation as the best cornerback in the league.
Doug Baldwin, meanwhile, almost quit football while at Stanford, but drew on an inner resolve and produced a breakout season in 2010, developing into Andrew Luck's most trusted target. His 58 receptions for 857 yards and nine touchdowns were impressive, but not impressive enough. None of the NFL's 32 teams bothered to spend a draft pick on him, so he signed a free agent contract with Seattle and has thrived. He's had consecutive thousand-yard seasons, and in 2015 he set an NFL record by grabbing a preposterous ten touchdowns in a four-game span. (There were 28 wide receivers chosen in the 2011 draft, by the way, and only ten of them are still in the league; only two of them (A.J. Green and Julio Jones) have better numbers than Baldwin.)
Ty Montgomery might be the most physically talented wide receiver in the history of Stanford football, a combination of size, speed, and strength that isn't often seen at the collegiate level. He ranks 5th in receptions and 13th in receiving yardage in Stanford history, but those numbers could have been much better had he been more fortunate. He played only one year with Andrew Luck, as a true freshman, and was gone before Kevin Hogan's breakout senior season. In between he was the focal point of the offense, but every defensive coordinator knew it and planned for it. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2015 draft, but it wasn't until last season when a rash of injuries necessitated a late-season switch to running back (Montgomery had carried the ball some in high school). He broke out with 162 yards against the Chicago Bears, and continued to have enough success that the Packers have made the switch permanent and Montgomery now sits atop the depth chart heading into this season.
One wide receiver converted to defensive back, another to running back, and a third who had to prove every team wrong. So what does this tell us? While there are dozens of Stanford players currently in the NFL playing tight end or offensive line or defensive back or linebacker or defensive line, the program has had little luck in recruiting and developing NFL-level talent at the wide receiver position.
This could be a function of the offense. A highly-skilled wide receiver with NFL aspirations might prefer to go to a program that will promise him ten or fifteen targets a game, that will never ask him to block, or that doesn't even have a playbook. Playing football in the street is fun, after all. Or it could be cyclical. One of the realities that always lurks in the background threatening to derail Stanford's success is the possibility (or even probability) of a two- or three-year stretch in which no highly-skilled players at a particular position are academically viable. Just for a moment, imagine what the odds must be for a 6'6" tight end to also have a 4.0 GPA? That a 300-pound offensive lineman can also be class president? Even though this run of success has vastly altered the recruiting process for David Shaw and his staff, there are some realities which have not changed.
Regardless of the reason, things may be changing. Christian McCaffrey led the team in receptions and receiving yardage in 2015, but that year was notable for the arrival of Trenton Irwin. As a true freshman that season he caught 12 passes for 150 yards, and last year he improved to 37 for 442, both the highest totals on the team. Even before he arrived on campus, the Stanford coaches gushed about his skill set, often calling him the most precise route runner in his recruiting class. We've seen that translate well to the collegiate level, as well as his pass catching ability. He simply doesn't drop the ball. And while he will never be the fastest receiver on the roster (that crown rests comfortably on the head of senior Isaiah Brandt-Sims, who has set several records on the Stanford track team), but Irwin's precise route running makes him appear faster than he really is; he has no trouble getting behind the defense. During his upcoming junior season, Irwin will likely thrive with the expected consistency at quarterback.
Junior J.J. Arcega-Whiteside introduced himself to Cardinal Nation with a game-winning touchdown catch at UCLA in the third game of the season last year, and he developed into a consistent threat on the outside. He had consecutive hundred-yard receiving games towards the end of the year against Oregon and Cal, and he should show continued improvement this season.
While Irwin and Arcega-Whiteside will certainly be the two starters, it's the next three receivers that I'm most excited about. Junior Jay Tyler can do a lot of things on a football field. In addition to his receiver responsibilities, he'll probably return some punts and is secretly the team's emergency quarterback. He probably won't scare any defensive backs or coordinators, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he might do with some increased playing time.
With the departure of Michael Rector, Stanford is without a true home run threat on the outside. (Actually, that's been an area of concern for the Cardinal offense for a while now; last season Rector didn't seem to get nearly as many deep targets as he had enjoyed with Kevin Hogan at the helm.) The most likely candidate to jump into Rector's role is sophomore Donald Stewart. While Stewart doesn't have Rector's speed, he arrived at Stanford as an elite recruit, and the coaches surprised observers by using him as a true freshman. Their confidence in the young receiver speaks volumes, and I think we'll see a greatly expanded role for him this fall.
Finally, there's freshman Osiris St. Brown, who is probably the most talented receiver to sign with the Cardinal since Montgomery. With St. Brown's skill set -- speed, hands, and strength -- it will be difficult for the coaches to keep him on the sideline. He has the potential to be a game-changing talent, even as a true freshman, and I can't wait to watch him push towards that potential.
With the depth of talent at wide receiver, it will be interesting to see if this group forces a change -- even if subtle -- in David Shaw's offensive philosophy over the next few seasons. Stanford will always run a pro-style offense with a heavy emphasis on the running game, but with elite quarterbacks and wide receivers coming to Palo Alto, the passing game appears ready to blossom.
